The Healers
by fan8225
Summary: Hermione starts a healer internship program and finds that Draco Malfoy is a class mate and dorm mate.  Nice romantic fic OneShot Please, please review!


Hermione placed a picture of her parents on her bedside table smiling briefly at the couple who had perfect white teeth and eyes that smiled there happiness. The next second she jumped up to finish unpacking her suitcase and store it a bit precariously on the top shelf of the rather smallish closet before she flopped onto the bed with at exhausted sigh. She was tired but exhilarated! At the age of 22 she was moving into the final phase of her training. Already finished with her basic healer training , she was now set to begin training n her chosen specialty, Spell Damage. The best and most prestigious program had accepted her quickly and Hermione's only regret was having to move out of the flat she shared with Harry and Ron to live in student dormitory as was required for the school. She had been a bit nervous too about the eastern European location of the school. High in the mountains the weather as she had already witnessed on her brief trip from the apparition point to the dormitory was harsh at best. Glancing at her sodden overcoat and boots she made a mental note to obtain one of the large shaggy looking overcoats that she had seen on the other hospital students and staff as they traveled between buildings.

The muffled sound of a door slamming and feet stomping in the common room caught her attention. The dorm suite for healers in advanced specialty study were more refined than those at Hogwarts or even at her previous internship at St. Mungo's. She was to share a common room with two other students, each of whom, like herself would have a private room off the common room and common kitchen area.

Hermione sat up glanced down at her slightly dusty blue jeans and brown cotton tee then checked her appearance in the mirror. She was a bit to slim as her two best friends had often told her. She shrugged it off as a occupational hazard. There had been many times that food had come second to studying or a particularly difficult patient assignment. Her large chocolate eyes appeared larger due to the fact that her heart shaped face was slimmer. Her long black/brown lashes saved her from ever having to worry about applying eyeliner or mascara and her lips wore a hint of the sheerest pink lip-gloss. 'Not bad all in all for someone who has only had 6 hours sleep in the last 2 days.' she thought.

The only real change in her appearance over the years had been the smoothing spell she had invented in her first year of healer school. She had never though herself vain and always thought that her wild bushy hair had never really bothered her one way or the other, but when a particularly harsh instructor had ordered her to keep it back or cut it off she had almost had a panic attack at the thought of losing her long waist length hair. She had spent that weekend trying every spell and potion she could find. In the end she had invented a smoothing spell on her own that lasted until her hair made contact with water. Her hair lost its bushiness but none of its substance so it fell to her waist in a heavy thick curtain of shinning auburn tinged brown.

'Time to meet the new neighbors,' She thought. She squared her shoulders and walked out into the common room her chin up and a smile on her lips that died instantly as her jaw dropped. Draco Malfoy spoke with his back to her not bothering to look in her direction as he struggled to close the old wooden window sash. "Listen mate, I'm not from this part of the continent and there's no way I'm going to freeze my balls off for the next 9 months because you lot are a bunch of bloody polar bears, so the windows going to stay closed at least here in the common room. I don't care what you do in your own…" His voice trailed off and his eye went wide with shock as he finally unstuck the window and turned to see Hermione standing there. "Hermione Grainger?" he gaped. His eyes traveled over her face and up to her hair and then for a moment, down to the rest of her form at which point she recalled herself a bit and shifted uncomfortably.

Collecting himself more quickly than she, he smirked, thrust his hands on his lean hips and said, "It IS you. Well, well." Was she imagining it or was there a note of admiration in his eyes. "How long has it been then? Five years, yeah?"

Hermione nodded and closed her mouth. During his inspection of her she had done some inspecting of her own and Draco was defiantly looking very well. He was at least six foot two and had put on a good deal of lean muscle mass, especially his arms and thighs. A grass green polo shirt covered his broad shoulders and slightly slouch jeans rested on his hips. His silvery blond hair was cut shorter than she had remembered and swept back from his face, but without the obligatory gel a wavy lock of it hung forward near the corner of his eyes.

"If it isn't Draco Malfoy. The last time I saw you," Hermione said folding her arms across her chest and taking a few more steps into the room. "Was in the great hall at Hogwarts after the battle." They both looked at each other for moment then she sighed and added. "I'm glad you were able to reach the end with your family intact." A look of surprised faded the smirk off of his face at her genuine comment. "I…thanks." He said looking like he really meant it. Another few seconds ticked by before he said, "I had no idea you wanted to be a healer, Grainger. I thought you would be off to be an Auror or some high level administrative ministry career."

"Oh, well" she looked down at her feet. I kind of though that too, but, after the war, I spent a lot of time volunteering at St. Mungo's and well, it just felt natural for me, like doing anything else would be… selfish."

"What about you," she said. "No offence, but when Hogwarts reopened we that is Harry and Ron and I went back to school to finish our NEWTS, but you didn't come back.

"No," Draco exhaled, "my parents knew that I couldn't go back after everything that had happened at Hogwarts. I finished my last year at Drumstrang, It was… well, it was no Hogwarts, but I was able to finish my NEWTS and get into the healer internship program here at Warswick Hospital." He shrugged, "It is close to Drumstrang and my parents new home. And now I'm back for my specialty training."

There was another long pause and Hermione racked her brain for something else to say, anything but this silence. It was Draco, though, who interjected dryly, "Bloody polar bears these people. Sorry about earlier, I just assumed you would be one of the local interns continuing on. Have to lay down the ground rules about the windows and such or you'll end up with frost bite! They're nutters they are, sleep with the windows wide open in the dead of winter and such. Five years here and I still can't take the cold like that."

Hermione had to snap her mouth shut at the fact that Draco had actually apologized the her.

"Oh, yes! Can you tell me where I can get one of those shaggy overcoats? I nearly froze walking up from the apparition point!"

For a moment Hermione thought he would refuse, but after a flicker of indecision crossed his face he smiled and said, "Sure Grainger, matter of fact, give me a bit to unpack and I'll show you the village." He moved down the hall and off into the room directly across from hers. The sounds of unpacking met her ears. 'Well that's more than I bargained for. An afternoon walking tour with Draco Malfoy? Merlin help me.' Seeing no way she could back out without being offensive, she walked over to the fireplace in the common room to wait. Just then the outer door opened and a shaggily clad figure walked in stamping its feet to dislodge ice and snow just outside the door . The figure immerged into the common room shoving a large trunk through the door behind it and pulling off the shaggy mantle coat and hat. Hermione cleared her throat to reveal her presence and found herself instantly regarded by the gaze of a rather stout, not unattractive looking young man in his early 20's.

"Vell, Vell," He said his hazel eyes leaving her face to appraise her figure before he continued "Vat haf ve here?"

Hermione didn't like the arrogant way he was looking at her body while he spoke. She placed her hands on her hips, refusing to allow his crudity to make her feel uncomfortable.

"We have Hermione Grainger, you new colleague for the spell damage intensive specialty program. And you are?"

The man chuckled revealing slightly crooked teeth. "Very nice! A foreigner…British, yes?" She nodded curtly. "I am Demitri Rommavich." He bowed slightly.

Hermione was less than impressed. She raised an arched eyebrow and addressed him without changing her cold tone of voice.

"Well than Demitri, as we are to be colleagues at the hospital and share accommodations, it would be highly prudent for you to remember that my eyes, which I prefer that you look at when you address me, are several inches higher than where you are currently staring."

Demitri's eyes shot up to her, his expression still surly, but now he was appraising her intellect instead of the rest of her. It was exactly the effect she wanted her words to have on the man.

"HIGHLY prudent, Rommavich" said a flat cold voice behind her. She turned to see Draco stroll into the common room his eyes on Demitri's hard and unwavering. He draped her coat across her shoulders, his was already on.

"Draco Malfoy! My old Drumstrang comrade," "Always were zo quick Draco, you haf never given anyone elz a chance." His eyes darted back to Hermione where she stood.

Draco stepped more fully in front of Demitri. "Same rules as Drumstrang Demitri. I don't want to end up half frozen. Were going out now. See you."

He grabbed Hermione by the elbow and led her out of the door. They walked to the village in silence. It was a longish walk and Hermione had to use at least three warming spells to make up for her inadequate overcoat. When the village came into view she stopped walking and spoke without turning to look at Draco who was at her side.

"I can handle guys like that myself, you know." She said, not harshly, "But thanks, I appreciate the gesture."

"I didn't mean to imply you couldn't handle yourself Grainger. I…" He seemed at a loss for words for a moment.

"I know Rommavich from my time at Drumstrang. He's not the most pleasant sort, but if you show him from the beginning that you won't stand for his crap…well you did that anyways. I just got riled that he would disrespect you that way."

Hermione's' mouth dropped open. "YOU were offended that he disrespected me?" The corner of her mouth quirked upward. "Me, the beaver? The know-it-all? The filthy little mud-"

"Grainger!" He said cutting off her comment. He seemed to struggle for words for a moment before he spoke again. "I was young then OK! I had an ignorant racist family and I spewed their venom to anyone within earshot."

He thrust his hands in his pockets and looked up at the grey clad sky. "I don't think like that anymore." He breathed out a long frozen breath. "I haven't felt like that for a long time." He crossed his arms over his chest and squinted at her through the snow flurries.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry for every rotten thing I ever called you. I know I was an impossible prick and I'd have understood if you'd hexed me on sight back there in the dorms."

His clear gaze was penetrating and unwavering. Hermione was struck by his honesty, he had really put himself out on a limb, willing to accept whatever recrimination she hurled at him. Even after all of the pain he had cost her in the past she couldn't bring herself to strike back at him for the sake of it.

After a moment she gave him a lopsided smile.

"It's worth a lot, Malfoy. I let most of that stuff roll right off of me back then, but every now and then you would get in a real stinger." She smiled and raised her eyebrows looking directly at him, " I mean lets face it, us bushy haired, buck toothed nerds can only be so thick skinned." He smiled back at her wondering where that girl had gone and when this stunning beauty had taken her place.

The spell damage program began the following week and the students fell into a rigorous schedule taking rotations in pairs. Their days were divided amongst studying, making morning and evening rounds and preparing detailed notes and short and long term treatment plans which included detailed implementations and goals for each spell damaged patient. They worked at the hospital 3 or 4 days per week. Sometimes the entire spell damage internship group of about 25 students did rounds together and at other times they worked in small groups of 2 or 3 to plan care for several patients. All of their medical orders had to be reviewed by a fully accredited spell damage healer before they were implemented and there was hell to pay if a plan or procedure that was ordered was rejected by the senior healer.

Through these rigorous weeks of work and study, Hermione and Draco fell into a funny kind of friendship. They found early on that they both made it a habit of getting up early and so, most mornings, they had coffee together in the common kitchen area that was just off their common room.

Usually they went over their notes or completed plans of care. They often talked about the old days at Hogwarts, remembering the quirks and oddities of the different teachers there and sharing funny stories.

Draco filled Hermione in all of the blanks since he had left Hogwarts. His year at Drumstrang(at which only pure blood witches and wizards where accepted) where every level of blood line purity was scrutinized and students were treated accordingly.

Hermione had shuddered when he told her that the purest of all were treated like princes and princesses no matter what their intellect or capability. Draco explained that his year at Drumstrang had been one of the final blows to the racist teachings drilled into him by his parents. Teaching that had already been irreparably cracked at the foundation after Voldemort's insanity the year before.

Hermione told him about Harry and Ron. How after the war the three of them had pulled away from each other for several weeks to come to terms with everything that had been lost. Fred, Remus, Tonks, Moody, Dobby. They had all been in shock.

Later when they had come together as friends again to complete school the shadow of sadness took months to dispel, but in the end it did. They all knew that everyone who had fought had done so knowing that they could not have lived if they hadn't. Each knowing they would rather die fighting than be massacred while running or hiding.

Ron and Harry both played professional Quidditch for the Chudley Cannons now. Harry and Ginny had gotten married last year and were now living in Godrick's Hollow in a house they had build on the edge of town.

As the weeks passed, coursework began, as it always did, to consume every spare moment that they had. Weekends and holidays were almost always spent catching up or trying to stay a step ahead of assignments. Draco and Hermione rarely went home for weekends or Holidays after the third week of the program during which the lead instructor had expelled a student for returning two hours late for the 9pm Sunday evening curfew.

The instructors often gave group assignments to students who lived in the same dorm rooms. This was preferable because it gave students more time to devise plans of care for patients as they lived with their study partners. Draco and Hermione often spent most of their Saturday mornings huddled over the kitchen table surrounded by books or sitting on the floor in front of the fire with papers covering every inch of the coffee table.

Hermione was impressed with Draco's natural talent for healing. He seemed to know instinctively what each patient needed. He didn't always know the name of the procedure or the wand motion of the spell but he had a knack for knowing the foundation and finding his way to the right answer from there. In as much as Hermione was like a walking encyclopedia, they worked very well together. Draco suggesting types of treatments and Hermione narrowing down his suggestions into more specific spells or operations.

One morning in early October they sat drinking coffee in companionable silence. Both had heads bowed reviewing notes. Hermione however kept glancing surreptitiously at Draco over the rim of her coffee mug or through the curtain of her hair.

Draco sat oblivious, with a quill behind one ear, using his finger to reread a line of medical notes in a patients' file that were making him furrow his brow in aggravation.

"Bloody eastern Europeans! Why does all of their writing look like bloody chicken scratch?! Whoever this Healer Rapikski is, he should be reprimanded for this sloppy mess, its completely illegible."

A black tank tee shirt exposed his broad shoulders, slightly damp from his morning run it skimmed every line of his muscled back and stomach. His muscled calves and a good portion of thigh were exposed under loose fitting jogging shorts. The skin there was pale, but firm and corded.

Hermione sighed and reached into the satchel that was resting on the floor near the table leg.

"Those notes were written by Senior Healer Kubricki, Draco." she said still rummaging in her satchel. "And, as he is head of the department, I hardly think anyone will have the nerve to suggest he reprimand himself for sloppy handwriting" Hermione looked up from her bag, smiled sweetly and handed him a crisp stack of typed notes then propped her chin up on the palm of her hand to watch as he took the papers.

"And," she continued, "if you would bother saying a friendly 'hello' or sparing some of that infamous Malfoy charm on his secretary when you turn in your care plans; I am sure she would be more than happy to give you a typed copy of his notes"

The look of utter relief on Draco's face as he realized that she had given him just that was almost comical.

"She really is a very sweet lady, Draco. She is also quite possibly the only person who can decipher the hieroglyphics Kubricki calls handwriting."

Draco snorted. Senior Healer Kubricki's secretary looked like a large pink ball of dough with red lips. He usually said as little as possible to her when he dropped off his assignments. 'Still in all,' he thought "Hermione does have a point.' He made a mental note to give the old girl a wink and a smile next time he was in her office.

"Um, Draco," Hermione said in a singsong voice, interrupting his reading of the crisp legible transcription notes. "Didn't we agree that you would shower somewhere between your run and your coffee…I mean I don't want you dripping all over the-"

"Ok, ok, I know," Draco said sighing and shoving half a scone into his mouth. He stood up on lean well muscled legs and took off the damp shirt. "Funk and friendship don't mix" He grinned at her and went to the bathroom.

Hermione exhaled and shook her head. "Merlin, but he's good looking! I can almost understand why he has always been so cocky!" She would simply have to keep reminding him to change out of his running gear _before_ breakfast. It wouldn't due to get caught starring at him with the palm of her hand in the butter and her tongue hanging out. They were just friends after all.

In the bathroom Draco stepped under the tap and let hot water run down his body. Closing his eyes to enjoy the spray he was assaulted by images of Hermione, her eyes her hair her smooth skin. Cursing silently he opened his eyes and grabbed the soap. She was always on his mind and it was starting to bloody well make him crazy.

In addition to that, he saw her everywhere too. She was at the hospital, at home, and at the library. Every time he turned around, she was there. And the strangest part about it was that he was glad. He enjoyed her company. She was always so perfect. Perfect to talk to, perfect to study with and very perfect to look at. Her hair, her skin, she hardly used beauty charms or make up and she still looked sexy. Even her robes were always immaculate. She laughed with him and made him feel…normal for the first time in many many years. She was just easy to be with, to be himself, without worrying.

Lately though, what was getting under his skin, what was making him crazy was his craving to touch her. He felt like a pervert every time he purposely-accidentally brushed his arm against her arm or let his hands drift into the curtain of her hair when he helped her on with her coat. 'How desperate am I.' he would think to himself. He had even sought to put an end to his desires, thinking he just needed some good old fashioned female attention.

During the last holiday weekend break he had headed home to visit his parents. He'd made a point of owling an old girlfriend for a date. She had been more than willing to go out with him and just as eager to accompany him back to his parents guest house for some late night snogging.

Unfortunately, at the first touch of his lips to Regina's, Draco knew it was no good. He had no desire to snog her or anyone else that was not Hermione. She had been very unhappy with him when he had pecked her on the cheek and told her he was tired and she should go on home.

Regina had shown up for that date in 6 inch heals a mini skirt and a next to nothing top and he had felt absolutely nothing.

Hermione came to the breakfast table with her hair in a pony tail and a flannel bathrobe big enough to fit two of her in and he became so aroused he was forced to hold his books in front of his crotch to get up from the table.

Draco doused his head underwater hoping to wash the thoughts of Hermione's soft looking skin out of his head.

A loud knock at the bathroom sounded, bringing him fully back to the present.

"Get a move on, Malfoy! We need to be out of here in 20 minutes!"

He looked down at his nude body as the water slide down over his skin. He smiled ruefully. With a sigh and a mixture of defeat and resignation he eyed his rather impressive erection and reached down with a firm calloused hand…

To grab the cold water tap and crank up full blast.

That evening as they sat by the fire studying, each stealing glances at the other. Rommavich, their third roommate was dating one of the interns in another dorm and frequently stayed there until late in the evening if he came home at all. Hermione jumped a bit at a loud quick rap at the door.

"I'll grab it," Said Draco pulling himself up from his spot by the fire and stepping over the semi circle of books that surrounded them.

Hermione returned to her care plan until Draco called her a moment later.

"Hermione, some bloke is at the door wanting to see you" Draco said sounding a bit strange.

Hermione got up and hopped over the books as he had, a questioning look on her face she turned to the small hallway and at the front door, she stopped dead in her tracks.

"Victor? Victor Krum!"

"Hermion-ny!" Victor beamed, his shaggy overcoat making him look like he was part giant. He stepped into the hallway and without another word swept Hermione into a huge bear huge, lifting her off of her feet and twirling her around.

Hermione giggled as he set her back on her feet and stared up at Victor. He still had his dark good looks, but the years had made them a bit less brooding in appearance.

"Victor! It is so good to see you what are you doing here? How did you know to find me at Waswick?"

"Your mother. She sent the owl back with the address here, and zo' I bring myself here instead of de letter- you like that much better, yes?. My English writing is much worse dan may English talking."

Hermione heard a small snort behind her and turned to see Draco standing there. His arms folded over his chest and looking somewhat sullen. "Victor, I want you to meet my dormmate, Draco Malfoy. He went to Hogwarts too. Draco, this is Victor Krum" The two eyed each other for a moment before briefly shaking hands.

Victor turned back to her. "Hermione get you coat, I take you to a nice dinner, yes?"

"Oh, Victor, I would love that, but," she bit her lip and gestured to the piles of books and papers on the floor. I have a ton of work due in the next few days, I just can't go with you tonight. I am free Saturday night though, we could go then." Victor looked a bit crest fallen but nodded his head.

"You haf always worked too hard Hermion-ny." Victor scowled a bit at her. "OK, I vill pick you up at six on Saturday." Hermione nodded and hugged him again as he departed not looking back at Draco once.

They got back to work and several minutes passed with Hermione diligently diving through books and notes to compile her presentations for the next few days before she became aware of Draco staring at her.

She looked up to see him studying her, his face unreadable.

"Draco? What's up?" Draco's breathing quickened. He stood up ran his fingers through his hair nervously and made his way clear of the books and papers. "N-nothing. I just need a break. He walked out into his room she heard the door close quietly behind him.

Hermione shrugged and settled herself down to continue working. After more than half and hour, however, Draco hadn't returned. 'He must have fallen asleep.' She thought. 'Hell murder me if I don't wake him up, his plans are due first thing in the morning.'

She padded down the hall him her bare feet and tapped on his door. "Draco, wake up! You'll be sorry if you don't finish this report!" She stood there sighing when there was no answer. He sleeps like a log, she thought. She was about to knock again when the door opened beneath her raised hand and he grasped her on either upper arm.

Her eyes widened in shock as she saw the hard look in his eyes. Without another word his lips descended on her own, gentle but firm and demanding, daring her to kiss him back . She stood frozen for long moments as the velvet warmth of his tounge played havoc with her senses, then her eyes slide closed just as he broke the kiss.

"I-I'm sorry." Draco stammered, his face flooded with color. She had just stood there. He had put all of the weeks of pent up desire and longing into that kiss and she hadn't responded to him at all.

Inside his head he was clubbing himself mentally with a quidditch bat.

'YOU MORON! She just stood there too shocked or disgusted to move! Now what. She is probably about to hex you for being such a base pig! So what if she agreed to go out on a date with some pro quidditch player! You can't just go around grabbing her and snogging her!'

He could barely meet her gaze. She had a very pretty flush across her face and she was looking oddly bemused. He prayed she was not about to cut him with some remark about how he must be insane to think she would fancy him, he didn't think his ego would ever recover as it was.

"I don't know what came over me. It will never hap--"

He was cut off by a loud insistent mechanical chirping sound that filled the stiff air of the hallway. Hermione's eyes went round.

"Oh, that's my mom, she only calls my cell phone if there is an emergency!"

She thrust her hand in her jeans pocket and retrieved a small silver rectangle. The rectangle was still chirping insistently and Draco looked on in amazement as Hermione opened the rectangle to reveal tiny numbers that glowed blue.

"Hello, Mom?" she paused and Draco heard faint high pitched talking, but was unable to understand any words.

"Aunt Jill! What- What!? When? Hermione's' expression became frantic and she started breathing in and out so quickly that Draco was sure that no oxygen was actually having time to be absorbed by her body. Tears formed in her eyes and Draco took a step toward her, his eyes questioning, but Hermione turned her back to him cupping her free ear with her free hand and continued her frantic conversation.

"But where is she now! What do you mean? Surgery?! When? What?- NO! No, I'm coming now." She flipped the little rectangle closed and sank down to her knees, hyperventilating. Draco dropped to his knees in front of her.

"Hermione!" her eyes were unfocused and she looked like she was about to pass out.

"Hermione listen to me." Draco said slowly and calmly in a no nonsense tone.

"You are going to pass out if you don't slow your breathing down." He reached in his back pocket to grab his wand and flicked it conjuring a paper bag from the kitchen.

Hermione was muttering incoherently.

"Have to go- must apperate. Have to go NOW! Mommy, oh no, Mommy." tears were streaking her face and her breathing was punctuated by high pitched gasps.

Draco grasped her upper arms to turn her to him. He thrust the bag over her nose and mouth and instructed her to breath more slowly. She looked up at him as if dazed, her eyes like shiny brown marbles. She grabbed the front oh his shirt and fisted her hands in it as her breathing slowed. After a few long moments her eyes cleared a bit and she placed her hand over his to remove the bag from her face and stand. She did so non to steadily and Draco kept on arm at her elbow in case she lost her balance.

"I have to go." She said shakily. My mom- she's been a automobile accident and she is in the hos-hospital." Tears were streaking down her face again. I have to get to the apparition area." As she spoke a note of hysteria crept into her voice.

"Ok, baby, ok. Just calm down and breath for me." Draco pulled her into his embrace, holding her tightly. Her arms when instantly around his sides to clutch to him like a life line as she fought to control her sobs. He flicked his wand and conjured a handkerchif for her. He walked her to the common room and sat her in one of the squashy chairs.

"Give me two seconds to get my broom, well fly to the apparition area."

In less than five minutes they were standing at the apparition area, Hermione felt like she was in a dream. As if in a fog she heard Draco asking her were she needed to apparate to. She told him the name of the city and the hospital her aunt had given and, in the blink of an eye, found herself standing before the massive emergency room edifice.

'Not mom to, not mommy, please, please, please.' Was the mantra that was playing in her head. She felt as if she would shatter in a million pieces if she lost her only surviving parent.

Her father had suffered a massive heart attack less than a year after the war ended. It had been devastation for both her and her mother.

A sob escaped her lips at the memory of the pain she had endured and eventually survived with her mother to support and help her through. Now she might lose the only remaining parent she had. She felt Draco's arm around her waist half supporting her wobbly progress into the emergency room waiting area.

She stared around glassy eyed. The harsh hospital lights and surreal feeling of people with various injuries and ailments in the stiff blue nogahide covered chairs. A baby cried somewhere in the distance and Hermione couldn't help but think in a coldly clinical fashion that the child obviously had pneumonia.

The next moment she was surrounded in a bear hug. A huge man with a ruddy complexion and golden blonde hair held her at arms length and kissed both of her cheeks. "Hermione."

"Uncle Thomas!" She cried. She had not seen her uncle in in at least a year.

"Everyone is in the surgery waiting room dear." He turned and led her to a smaller rear waiting room where she was greeted by her other family members. She was hugged in turn by her aunt Jill, her mothers' petiite sister who sported the same bushy hair as Hermione, but hers was golden blonde. Her cousins Rachel and Peter who where 20 and 26 respectively and her grandfather Fredrick who was also built on a large sclae with a full head of black hair that was silver at the sideburns. He hugged Hermione but his clear blue eyes gazed directly at Draco as she released Hermione.

"Who is your friend, dear."

Hermione, had completely forgotten about Draco.

"Oh,!" She stepped over to him and grabbed his hand, dragging him over to her family. "Gran, this-" she gestured to Draco, "is Draco Malfoy. We live together." Her grandfathers' eyes went a bit hard and narrowed on Draco, whose smile faltered under her intense glare.

"I mean we are room mates, dorm mates really." Hermione rushed to say "We share a common room in the dorms, but we all have private chambers." Grandfather Fredrick's glare instantly was downgraded to a keen appraisal of Draco who had to force himself not to run his fingers through his hair or adjust his collar.

"Draco this is my mothers sister, my aunt Jill, her husband Uncle Thomas and their children Rachel and Peter. Draco found surer footing as he smiled and greeted each of her relatives with considerably more poise than he had her Grandfather.

Hermione turned to her aunt her eyes bright and her expression hopeful

"She just went in to surgery ," her aunt Jill said calmly. "She is bleeding in her abdomen and they don't know where. She also had some head trauma. They say we will have to wait until she wakes up." She touched Hermione's arm gently and said quietly, "they couldn't give us any guarantees."

"How did this happen!" Hermione cried to nobody in particular.

"A car crossed over the center lane and hit her head on. They think that the other driver had had a heart attack behind the wheel. He was dead before the crash happened." Hermione closed her eyes and swayed on her feet.

Draco grabbed her shoulders and pulled her into his arms. Her knees seemed to give way as blackness surrounded her.

Hermione blinked as fuzzy lights came into view. She stared up at the florescent lights and thought that more hideous high efficiency lighting could not exist. She sat up and shook the hair away from her face wondering where she was. In a rush all the memories came flooding back to her.

"Mommy!" She cried as she jumped out of the bed. She was in a muggle hospital room. She grabbed for the door handle but it opened as she reached for it bringing her face to face with Draco.

"Draco, where is everyone. Is the surgery over?" Draco put an arm around her waist and dragged her back to the bed.

"It all fine Hermione, your mom is fine she is in recovery right now. The doctors want you to stay in bed, they say you are underweight and a bit anemic due to poor diet.

"I'm fine!" She almost shouted, "What did they say about mum? Did they find the source of the bleeding? What about her head injury?"

"Hermione, when I heard what your aunt said I just- well I hope you don't mind, but I don't have a lot of faith in these muggle healers. I disillusioned myself while you were sleeping and snuck into the operating room. I was able to freeze the surgeons and you mother long enough to magically locate and seal the source of her internal bleeding. I placed a anti-edema spell on her whole body, that will eliminate any organ or brain swelling."

"She woke up in recovery and was able to answer questions coherently. They gave her a sedative so she could rest. They say you can see her first thing in the morning. I think she's going to be just fine."

Hermione threw her arms around Draco and laughed. She was so relieved she felt as if the sun had just shined for the first time in years.

Draco chuckled and patted her back. "Go get some sleep, Grainger. I promised your aunt Jill I would finish our chess game down in the waiting room." He got up to leave but rasied a brow and shot her a quick grin,

"Very dull this muggle chess, but I think she considers me a good clean cut sort so, you know, mustn't disappoint." He winked at her with his usual Dracoesque confidence back in full force then exited the room.

The next morning Hermione was discharged after a short but stern lecture from the doctor about the merits of regular meals and a prescription for a iron multifitamin.

They went immediately to the next floor where her mother's room was located. Hermione followed the nurse to her mothers hospital bed. She clutched Draco's hand as he trailed behind her.

"Mommy! Hermione exclaimed throwing her arms around her mother who was lying in bed with her head elevated.

"Hermie! I am so sorry to worry you so sweetheart! I wanted to see you yesterday when I woke up, I knew you would worry yourself silly, but the doctors wouldn't let me so have any visitor so soon after surgery."

"Never mind me mum! How are you feeling?" Hermione sat on the edge of the bed her worried glance making note of her mothers color, skin temperature, her eyes darted to the telemetry reading that marked her heart rate and rhythm.

"I am fine, sweetheart, just a bit tired. It this young man with you?" she said looking over Hermiones' shoulder at Draco who stood some distance from the bed with his hands in his front pockets felling awkward.

"Oh, Draco! I'm sorry, come, come." She motioned energetically for him to approach the bed a wide smile on her lips.

She linked her arm with him and pulled him forward. "Mum, this is Draco Malfoy...my boyfriend."

Draco who had garnered his most debonair grin with all expectation of being introduced as Hermione's dorm mate once again gapped at Hermione as did her mother.

"Well sweetheart, this is a surprise, you haven't had much to say about any boy since your last year at Hogwarts! This must be a very special young man. Very nice to meet you Draco."

"Draco tore his eyes off of Hermione who wore a small smile but kept her eyes on her mother. He smiled and grasped Mrs. Grainger's hand. They stayed another 10 minutes visiting before the nurse told them that their time was up.

As they exited following the nurse the way they had come, Draco caught Hermione, who had looked flushed since his introduction, steal a nervous glance at his profile. He smiled and without glancing at her, grabbed her hand, twining his fingers with hers as they walked out to the waiting area.

Back in the waiting room Hermione assured her family that her mother was well. They were all thrilled though exhausted. They had all stayed up all night and decided to head home.

Hermione gave Draco a small smile that just reached the corners of her mouth. "Lets go home. We can't visit again until the morning and you look exhausted" Hermione said to him quietly. Her eyes had a soft dreamy quality that made his brain a bit fuzzy.

"Yeah, lets go." Was all he could manage. No matter what she thought, he needed to speak with her alone before he would truly be able to rest.

He pulled his head together long enough to apparate from the parking garage to the apparation area at Warwick Hospital without splinching himself. She was waiting when he got there. Silently, he recovered his broom from the storage area and they flew back to their dorm room. He was very conscious of her hands around his waist as he flew them home.

Once inside they stomped the ice off of their boots and hung up their overcoats. Draco started a fire and turned to see Hermione standing there looking beautiful, biting her lip and wringing her hands nervously.

She steadfastly kept her gaze away from his eyes and his heart constricted with feeling for her. 'She's so beautiful, so perfect without even trying to be.' He took three quick strides across the room and was before her, he gently cupped her face with his hands.

"Hermione," he breathed. "Look at me." She raised her eyes to his and he was taken aback by depth of feeling he saw there. Fear, nervousness, desire and hope all mingled together.

He lowered his head slowly, deliberately touching his lips to hers, half afraid she would push him away or fail to respond at all as had happed the last time he dared to kiss her.

The first touch of his lips to hers sent a bolt of electricity through him. His hands slid down over her shoulders to rest at the small of her back to draw her closer.

He angled his mouth against hers increasing the pressure of his lips.

Hermione sighed against his lips and leaned into him as he drew her closer. His tongue darted out to take advantage of her parted lips. Hermione's' mind ceased functioning. Her hands crept up on their own to run shaky fingers through the silky hair at the nape of his neck.

"Hermione?" He breathed against her lips

"Hmmmm?" She hummed

"This-this isn't gratitude or anything like that is it?" He felt her body tense against his but he held her firmly, he had to ask, he had to know.

"I mean, you aren't just feeling grateful to me for helping you mum? I thought-When I kissed you before you didn't seem really that interested…"

He trailed off at a loss for words thinking that he had sounded incredibly stupid. For a split second he thought that maybe a bit of pity snogging purely for gratitude purposes was worth it where Hermione concerned, but then he pushed the idea out of his head. He wanted her, and he wanted her to want him for himself not just be grateful that he helped heal her mothers injuries.

She grasped either side of his head and made sure he was looking directly into her eyes when she said.

"Draco, when you kissed me before, well I was a bit shocked." She smiled as if she were a bit embarrassed.

"I have been eyeing you every time you come in from a run or wear those truly spectacular pajama bottoms with that skimpy sleeveless undershirt to the breakfast table. You really do have a great backside." She was blushing furiously but continued on anyway.

"I was really surprised when you kissed me because I didn't think you found me attractive. You know, I'm usually just chummy Hermione. I've really always been way more interested in studying than learning all of those brilliant beauty spells like the other girls I know. I wear almost no make-up, my wardrobe is basically blue jeans or healers robes, I cant tell you the last time I wore on high heals.

In short Draco, I'm a bit of a nerd and you, you've always been the most popular in your class, people always flock around you, want to be friends with you, want to date you. I haven't ever really been the type the popular guys fall for."

An imperceptible shadow of what might have been called hurt crossed her face and was gone before he could be sure he had really seen it.

"So, when you kissed me, I-I just sort of froze. Just when I realized I wasn't dreaming…my phone rang."

She looked back at him and blinked back tears. "So you see Draco," She slid her arms back up around his neck, pressing her body against his. "This isn't gratitude. She stood on her tip toes until her lips were a breath from his.

"This is picking up where we left of before we were interrupted."

She pressed her lips to his and kissed him with such a slow sweet intensity that he was sure she had told him all the secrets of her soul. As they kissed they explored each others arms, backs and hair.

After what several minutes or several days Hermione finally broke away from him, grasping his upper arms to gently yet firmly set him away from her. He looked down at her uncertainly as if drugged, missing the warm haven of her arms, the soft warmth of her body against his.

Breathing heavily through slightly parted lips she grinned at him mischievously and rested her forehead against his.

"By Merlin, Draco you make a girl forget herself." But Draco noted the look in her eyes.

'Too much, to fast.' He chastised himself mentally. But out loud he only growled, "If Victor Krum so much as shows his face in this town again I'll beat him to a pulp." He said pulling her back into a tight embrace.

Hermione chuckled, "Victor Krum is a happily married man with a two year old son and a daughter due any day now. Really Draco, we have been corresponding since I was in 4th year and he in his 7th. If there had been anything romantic going on it would have happend long ago."

Draco only grunted, "Don't care." loving the way it felt to rub his cheek against the crown of her head.

Hermione pulled back to look at him in amused outrage and gasped as, with one swift motion, he bent and scooped her up in his arms, carrying her to a spot before the fire. Summoning several pillows from the bedrooms he settled himself next to her.

He clenching his jaw slightly when she innocently snuggled up to him and nuzzled his neck. 'Merlin help me.' he thought,. Ignoring the goose bumps that rose on his flesh, he wrapped his arms around her, tucking her head onto his shoulder as she drifted off to sleep, exhausted from her sleepless night of worrying about her mothers' health.

It took Draco far longer to get to sleep. After he slipped away from a sleeping Hermione long enough to take a very quick, very cold shower he summoned a blanket from his bed which he wrapped around the both of them. He then wrapped her in his arms again and smiled in complete contentment before he to fell asleep with his cheek pressed to her crown of lavender scented hair.

The End.

Until the sequel's posted…


End file.
